Spring ring



E. L. ROBINSON.

SPRING mus.

Jan. 16, 1923.

FILED OCT. 5,1921.

/nv'en for."

Per

Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES ma net Mme basics.

EDWIN L. ROBINSON, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, 'ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOHENRY J. SPOONER, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

srnrne RING.

Application filed October 5, 1921. Serial No. 505,649.

To all whom it m my concern Be it known that I, EDWIN L. RomNsoN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulSpring Ring, of which the following is a specification.

Prior to my invention hereinafter described spring-rings were commonlyformed in one of the following ways. One of the methods was to insert awire in the bore of a tube to prevent the tube from being distorted inbending. The tube was then wound around an arbor into ring form. Theends of the bent-up tube were not united but were left a distance apart.The inserted wire was then eaten out by acid so as to clear the bore ofthe tube. Another wire was then inserted in one end of the bore of thering and arranged to slide therein to open and close the space betweenthe separated ends of the ring. The outer end of said wire was enlargedor provided with an enlargement adapted to abut against the opposite endof the tube and serve as a stop to further movement of the slide ineither direction.

Another common way of forming the spring-ring was to form the ring inthe same manner as already described, but with the tubular sectionshorter and to solder in the bore at one end a solid wire of lessdiameter than the tubular section, and another wire was inserted in thebore of the opposite end of the tubular section of the ring and arrangedto slide therein and to abut against the free end of the wire section ofthe ring to close the opening between the bored and solid end of thering.

Both of these modes of forming a springring involved many operations andadded considerably to the expense of manufacture.

The purpose of my invention is to provide a spring-ring of few parts andwhich in its construction will not require the use of solder or theinsertion in and subsequent re moval from the tube of theform-preserving wire heretofore necessarily employed to preventdistortion of the tube in bending it into ring-shape.

To these ends my invention consists in the novel and usefulconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter de- Likereference letters and numerals indi I cate like parts where they occurin the drawlngs.

In the drawings 1 represents the tubular body of my spring-ring. 1represents the portion having the larger cross-section and 1 the portionof reduced crosssection. The bore in the portion 1 being consequently ofgreater diameter than that in the portion 1 I term it the larger bore. 2represents the slidable member operating in saidlarger bore of the bodymember and arranged and adapted to open and close the space between theends of the latter. 3 represents a spring seated in the larger bore andcontrolling the movements of the slidable member 2.

(Fig. 2.)

The body member 1 is bent on an arbor into ring shape with its endsspaced a distance apart. (Fig. 6.) It is'then by dies swaged so that fora portion of its extent it will be of shorter cross-section than theother portion, the bore of the two portions of the body being similarlyunequal. (Fig. 6.) To the edge of the body member is attached the wellknown form of ring 4 for connecting the spring-ring to a chain or thelike. The member 2 is of the same diameter as the reduced portion of thebody member and abuts against it when closing the opening between theends of the body member.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a new andnseful spring-ringhaving an integral body member a portion of which is of. reducedcross-section, the portion having the larger cross-section fitted toreceive the slidable member and its controlling spring, and the portionhaving the reduced cross-section fitted to serve as an abutment for theslidable member when the latter closes the opening between the ends ofthe body member. Furthermore I am by my invention able to dispense withthe form-preserving wire heretofore necessarily inserted in the bore ofthe tube to prevent distortion of the latter in bending it into ringshape, and I am able to dispense with solder or other means heretoforenecessarily employed to secure together the parts of a spring-ringconstructed with a tubular and a non-tubular portion.

1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. spring-ring comprising an integral tubular body member of reducedcross-section for a portion of its extent, whereby the bore in oneportion of said member will be of greater diameter than that in theother portion, said bodyinember bent into ringshape with its ends alinedand spaced a distance apart, a spring operatively seated in said bore ofthe greater diameter, and a member slidably fitted in said bore, andactuated in one direction by said spring to close the opening betweensaid body ends, and operative in the opposite direction against saidspring to uncover said opening.

2. In a spring-ring a one-piece tubular body member having one portionof its length of greater diameter than the other portion, said bodymember bent into ringshape with its ends alined with each other andspaced a distance apart in combination With a plunger reciprocatinglyfitted in the larger end of said body member and arranged to cover anduncover at will the open space between the ends of said body member anda spring seated in said larger end and controlling the movement of saidplunger.

3. In a spring-ring a onepiece tubular body member bent into ring shapewith its ends alined with each other and spaced 9.

distance apart, one portion of said body member being of greaterdiameter than the other portion whereby said larger portion is arranged.and adapted to slidably receive a reciprocating plunger covering anduncovering at Will the open space between the ends of said body member,and the smaller portion of said bOdy member adapted to serve as a stoplimiting the movement of said plunger in closing said open space.

EDi VIN L. ROBINSON. Witnesses:

HENRY J. SPOONER, ARTHUR A. RHODES.

